Palouse Falls, at its rip-roaring best each spring and now the official state waterfall of Washington, puts on quite a show when snow is melting in far off Idaho mountains.

Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, one of Washington's most beautiful waterfalls occurs when the sleepy Palouse River meanders across a sagebrush scabland then roars to life by plunging 200 feet over a basalt cliff. When the Palouse River is filled with spring runoff and the hillsides are still green, Palouse Falls is indeed a sight to behold.

The Palouse River begins in the Idaho mountains north of Moscow and makes a circuitous route to join the Snake River 40 miles north of Walla Walla.

Palouse Falls is a remnant of one of the greatest rushes of water the world has ever seen. During a recent ice age (about 15,000 years ago), glaciers from the north repeatedly blocked the flow of the Columbia River's and its tributaries (primarily the Clark Fork). Massive Lake Missoula formed behind the ice, only to drain itself in cataclysmic floods that created the Washington coulee country's channeled scablands.

The massive floods washed away enough soil to create Palouse Falls, which continues as an active water course with its flow of water out of Idaho.

A quarter-mile handicap-accessible trail goes from the parking lot to the overlook shelter, which is named for Roald Fryxell. The former Washington State University geologist was instrumental in unearthing the Marmes Man nearby in 1968. The site contained some of the oldest (10,000 years) human remains found in the Western Hemisphere at the time.

Palouse Falls State Park is open for day use all year. Spring and summer hours are 6:30 a.m. to dusk. The park requires a Washington Discover Pass. The park also has a small tent campground and overnight parking for RVs.

Palouse Falls is not really on the way to anywhere, but it's a worthy diversion as a day trip from the Tri-Cities or Walla Walla, or for travelers driving between Portland and Spokane.

Drive U.S. 395 for 32 miles north of Pasco. At Connell, turn east on S.R. 260 and drive 17 miles to Kahlotus. Continue driving eight miles northeast toward Washtucna, then turn east on State Route 261 for nine miles to the entrance of the park. Turn north and drive one mile on gravel to the parking area that overlooks the falls.

The falls was dedicated in March as the state's official waterfall during a visit by Gov. Jay Inslee.